Over the past several years lights have been incorporated into several products that had not historically been lighted. Examples include stationary products, sneakers, buildings, and signs. Examples of such products include Sketchers™ sneakers found at http://www.skechers.com/style/90290/luminators-nova-wave/bklm, Applicant's stationary products incorporating fiber optics as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,349,608, and neon signs such as the ones found at http://www.bestbuyneonsigns.com/.
These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
However, the above mentioned products are sometimes problematic because they sometimes light up when no one is around to appreciate the view, or fail to light up when someone is around to appreciate it. For example, the sneakers mentioned above are configured to light up with each step taken by the wearer, which can be somewhat silly during daytime hours where the light is barely visible. As another example, stationary products and neon signs require activation of a manual switch in order to light up, which can reduce the spontaneity that could otherwise be derived from a lighted notebook or other object.
Thus, there is still a need for improved products incorporating ornamental designs.